Bruising on child legs with no explanation

[worriedMum1123]

I’m really worried about my daughters legs they have bruising on them. I am of course going to call my GP in the morning but right now I’m going crazy googling and finding all sorts of diseases it could be a sign of. Please tell me if you’ve experienced similar with your kids please. She has been with me all week so no chance of anyone doing this to her. She’s doesn’t remember how it happened and it doesn’t hurt when I touch it. What could be the cause?

As a pattern. Not on a ‘2 unexplained bruises’ on one occasion. They’re medics, not mediums.

Are you a doctor?

Putting it in capitals won't make me do what you tell me to do. This is an open forum and I can post my opinion. Who do you think you are! Lol. You look unhinged.

What is dangerous is suggesting people should take a child to a GP for every single bruise if the child can't remember exactly how it happened, meaning people who are genuinely ill can't get appointments, they then are forced to A&E, leading to the 10hr wait I endured when my child was actually ill.

Speak to the school nurse, monitor it, even book in an appointment with a senior practitioner if you want to request blood tests but this is not an emergency GP situation and even medical practitioners have said the same.

It's an absolute myth that long A&E waits and lack of GP appointments are due to people using the NHS for "silly" reasons. The reason for those problems are a combination of chronic underfunding and understaffing.

You missed my point completely.

Regardless of the reason, it IS dangerous for anyone on mumsnet to warn people off going to their GP - especially with a child!
We don’t know the OP, or the DD or the DD’s other health issues etc.

Yes it may look like normal kiddo bruises but who are we to tell the OP to save the NHS by not taking GP appointments?!

But that's what bruising literally is - bleeding under the skin 🤷‍♀️

@chimayrah1
OF COURSE there will be a lack of gp appointments available, if people waste them with stuff like this. There is one less available slot now (potentially). Sure, funding etc also contribute but you cannot pretend this would be helping!

A friend's child was diagnosed with leukaemia after presenting with (by the way, pretty innocuous looking) unexplained bruising. That was her only initial symptom. Would you suggest that was a wasted appointment?

These bruises are VERY likely to be normal childhood injuries, but it is not silly to want the GP to rule out another cause.

@Callimanco just wanted to say I thought your post was really helpful and would have definitely reassured me in the OP's position.

@Verbena17
How mn works is a whole demographic of posters give their opinion/their experience on a topic. What would I do if my 7 year old had these bruises? Answer - not notice/at best notice and do nothing. Others would do different. The op gets to read everyone's opinions/experience and make her own decision.

I found it very helpful!

I have a teen son with lethargy, headaches and nosebleeds. I keep looking out for bruises and now I know what to look for and what is just a normal bruise.
(Probably post viral fatigue - though has a cardiologist appointment next week)

Thank you.

Do you always know exactly where your child has got their bruises from? 2 unexplained ones I would not go to the gp for! If it's ongoing then understandable but kids get bruises on their legs all the time

You missed my point completely.

I don't think I did. I think you are changing it to suit...

Here you are talking about 'regardless of reason' when the thread has a very clear reason.

Regardless of the reason, it IS dangerous for anyone on mumsnet to warn people off going to their GP - especially with a child!

The reason is 2 normal childhood bruises.

We don’t know the OP, or the DD or the DD’s other health issues etc.

Witching the context of the thread I would expect any issues to have been disclosed, yet there was nothing, so at face value, these are just bruises.

Yes it may look like normal kiddo bruises but who are we to tell the OP to save the NHS by not taking GP appointments?!

I mean I'm not waving any flags or anything but it is a waste of a valuable appointment that someone in need could benefit from

The shins are a very common area to get knocked, my son gets bruises on his shin’s regularly and doesn’t remember how he did them. My daughter on the other hand had quite a few on her thighs when she was around 10/11, I was concerned about those as there were so many and not the most usual place to hit something that often, I did take her to the gp for that, had a blood test which showed nothing, we saw a paediatrician who tried to say they are from trauma and implied someone was hurting her made me feel like she was accusing me of harming her! Then asking who else looks after her, was expecting a call from social services after that! I was the one that took her because I was concerned. The bruises happened 2-3 times then stopped.

Putting it caps is irrelevant. It made me cross that you would make someone you don’t know with a child and who’s worried about that child, feel guilty about calling the GP….when the NHS website literally says go to your GP for unexplained bruising.

@chimayrah1

That's not what the NHS website says.

What does it say?

If I went to a GP all worked up over a healthy child who didn't recall how they got two bruises on their shins, I think I'd be getting looked at for anxiety rather than my kid getting looked at for cancer.

It says unexplained bruising should be looked at by a GP. Which I'm sure you could have looked up for yourself.

It says unexplained bruising should be looked at by a GP. Which I'm sure you could have looked up for yourself.

If you want to direct me to something on a website then you bloody look it up!

Also, something that people seem to be mistaking, unexplained bruising isn't bruises you don't know how they happened. It's that you don't know how they could have happened. These leg bruises cam easily be explained as 'child banged into something' - a GP isn't going to run any tests or know any further how they happened than the rest of us, but in isolation these bruises absolutely can be explained.

I obviously know that however, on medical based threads, posters need to realise that the words they choose could have serious knock on effects.

Given you have moved house and unpacking the most likely thing is she has bumped into some packing boxes.

Bruises are wired, some knocks that have been really sore no bruise and others I get a bruise with no memory of a bump.

Moving house is exciting and stressful. If she is fine and healthy then just keep an eye on it.

I bruised like that as a child constantly. I had and still have skin that bruises very very easily. Simple things like a cupboard door hitting my legs left massive bruises and I would have no memory of what caused them. I still bruise super easily and am always amazed at the range of bruises I see when showering.

If she's 7 she probably just whacked into something when running around. I wouldn't worry if she's not experiencing widespread unexplained bruising across the whole body and hasn't been apart from you either

My primary age DD bruises easily and her legs look like this after almost any tumble in the park/playground.